The Star Sisters: Journey of the Cosmic Warriors

by TLSpark

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Adventure
Length: 13504

The War of the Sun and Moon has expanded to the reaches of space, and although it is now peace time, war is still around the corner. In another quadrant of space, a group of fighters uncover a secret that had been forgotten long ago.........

The second War of the Sun and Moon had long broken into the far reaches of space, and now an unsteady peace dwells between the two factions.

The Solar Empire has occupied a great many planets, while the Lunar Republic has stayed within the reaches of space, preferring the company of themselves than other species. Anypony and anything that want to stay out of either groups way will make a living out on their own, and if they need a job done, but want to keep it silent, they turn towards one other source.

Mercenaries

In another quadrant of space, a group of fighters uncover a secret that had been buried and nearly forgotten long ago……….

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Description subject to change

A story based on a group of RPers who I consider very good friends of mine

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-21 20:03:36 UTC

Prologue: An Old Mare's Tale

"Mommy?"

The light blue mare put down the book she was reading and looked down at her son.  She gave him a warm smile before she got up from the chair she had been relaxing in.

"Young colt," She said, "I thought you were in bed."

"I was....." the light green colt said as he stared at his hooves, "but I couldn't sleep....." The mare's eyes softened when she heard this.  She walked over to him and tilted his head up so he could see into her face.

"Is it because we're going too fast? I could ask your father to-"

"No!" He yelped, pulling away from her gentle hoof, "You don't have to do that!"  The mare chuckled and brought the stubborn colt closer to her.

"Then what is it? Why can't my little spark sleep?"  The colt bit his lip and instead looked out the round window that was next to them.  Outside, millions of stars glided by as the small cruiser drifted through space.  The colt's father had probably put the ship's auto-pilot on by now so he could go to sleep himself.  As the mother and her son looked on at the blackness of space, the colt leaned his head into the mare's arms and muttered something.

"I'm sorry," The mare said with a smile, "but what did you say?"

"I....." the colt repeated, "said I missed him......."  The mare stopped smiling.

"I do too sweetie....but there's nothing we can do.....we just have to move on...."

"And do what?" the colt asked, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "Forget about him?"

"No...of course not...." The gentle mother picked up her son and got him to cling onto her back, "We always have to remember....that way he won't really be gone.  He'll be in our memory and our hearts." She started to walk back to the bedroom in which the colt slept.  The colt's tears were quickly forgotten as he held on to his mother.

"I don't want him as a memory though...." The colt said when they entered his room, "I want him here."  The mare just smiled and put him into his bed.  She then started to tuck him in, but he kept on squirming out of the covers.  She eventually gave up and just sat on the end while the colt rolled onto his back.  He looked up at his mother and asked the one question he wanted answered.

"Is he dead?"  The mother looked at the door to hide the tears that had begun to form.

"I....don't know...but I'm sure we'll find out soon.  The Lunar Republic will certainly tell us if......" She didn't finish her thought.  The colt rolled onto his stomach and waited for her to continue.  When she didn't, he asked her another question.

"Why is there a Lunar Republic?" He asked, "And what about the Solar Empire?"  For a time, the mother didn't answer, but she was soon looking back at the colt with a smile.

"You mean you don't know?"  The colt shook his head.  "Then it's about time I tell you." She stood up and left the room.  When she came back, she had an old book in her mouth.

"What's that?"  The colt asked.

"It's a story book," She replied when she sat back down on the bed, and it tells the tale of the first War of the Sun and Moon."  The colt frowned.

"I've heard that one before."

"Of course you have sweetie," the mother teased as she opened the book, "but this book tells another side of the story.  It talks about the Star Sisters."

"Star Sisters?" The colt asked, now curious, "Who are they?"

"Come here and I'll tell you,"  The mother replied.  Quickly, the little colt wormed his way into the mother's arms and waited for her to begin reading.

"Long ago," The mother began, "in a land known only as Equestria, there were two regal princesses who ruled throughout the land.  The older of the two gave rise to the sun, while the younger gave rise to the moon."

"I've heard about this mom," The colt interrupted, but the mother continued anyway.

"As the legend goes, these two princesses were, in fact, sisters and they helped keep the world in balance.  Soon though, the younger sister grew jealous of her older sister for she was more welcomed and loved for her day than her for her night.  This jealousy twisted the young sister and turned her into a terrible evil....."

"Nightmare Moon?" The colt put in.  The mother nodded and continued.

"Nightmare Moon wanted to shroud Equestria in an everlasting night, and to do this she needed help.  She soon enlisted the help of four servants, of which she gave them each a special sword.  The swords were each given a unique quality, and each sword was given to the servant who fitted that quality best."

"What were the swords?" the mother smiled as she recited the next passage.

"One was of Love and was gentle and kind

Another was Hate and could shatter your mind

The third was Insanity covered in mirth

The fourth was just calm, but could break the Earth

And the fifth sword, created with Hope,

was soon twisted, tied back with rope

This final sword, turned dark by its mistress

was soon set upon a land in distress"

"Sounds like a poem." Observed the colt, his eyes beginning to droop.

"It is, now shush." The mother told him, then continued.

"The servants were soon fighting along side their master in what became known as the first War of the Sun and Moon.  Nightmare Moon was powerful, and her servants, when they worked together, more so.  Soon though, the servants grew tired of their evil acts with their mistress, so they came to the older sister to seek out a truce.  The older sister only wanted peace in the land again, so she agreed.

"When Nightmare Moon discovered the act of treason though, she banished the servants to the stars and took their swords for her own.  She confronted the older sister in an attempt to end the war, but not in peace.  She wanted to take her sister's life to get her eternal night.  With no choice left to her, the older sister used the most powerful artifacts she had, the Elements of Harmony, and banished her sister to the moon itself.  She then took the swords and scattered them throughout the land so that their powers could never be used again.

"The servants to Nightmare Moon observed this, and their old hatred for the princess of the sun returned.  They knew they had to release their mistress from her prison, but that would take time, so for one thousand years they gathered power and magic to do just that.  When the time came, they released their mistress once more from her tome, but at the same time, they exhausted their strength to help her retake the land.

"The Princess was ready though.  She had gained her own servant and it was the servant, along with her companions, who finally defeated Nightmare Moon once and for all, thus returning Nightmare Moon to her original state.  The servants saw this action and were naturally enraged, but seeing as their swords were lost to them, they decided to wait.

"It is unknown how long they had waited, but when enough time had gone by their rage soon died out, and so they left.  When the sisters had finally passed on in the land, it was up to another to keep the land balanced.  With the sisters gone, old grudges resurfaced, past conflicts came back.  The land was once again split apart, and another War of the Sun and Moon began.

"Depite the second war though, life went on.  Soon the two nations discovered the technology to fly past their planet and into the stars, and the war was left behind on the planet.  These two nations, known today as the Solar Empire and Lunar Republic, are at peace with each other, and though they have their differences, the peace remains.

"What of the swords and the Elements of Harmony?  The Elements were taken by a third faction, the Equestrian Alliance, in hopes that they would someday be needed once more, but the swords?  They were lost, along with the servants.

"The swords, while used for evil, still had remarkable powers, but it was for the best that they were separated, and yet, despite that, one has to wonder.  These swords may be lost to the stars, but if they are ever brought together they can lead one to the ultimate prize.  Their bond is much stronger than a simple friendship, so it is right that they have the name that they have now.

"And that, is the Legendary Star Sisters."

The mother closed the book and looked down at her son, only to discover that he had fallen asleep in her arms.  She carefully placed the sleeping child back in his bed, tucked him in and turned out the light.  With the book once again in her mouth, she left the room ad entered her own.  Her husband was asleep in the bed, confident that the ship's auto-pilot could steer for the night.  She smiled again as she replaced the book back on his night stand.

She was quite certain that he wouldn't mind their son knowing of the old story.  Now tired herself, she got into the bed herself.  As she listened to the sounds of the ship while it drifted through space, she slowly fell asleep.

Chapter one: Transmissions

"Hurry up with that Transmission oil!"  rang out a rough voice from the confines of a garage.  The voice belonged to a disgruntled stallion who's face was livid with scars.  The suit he was wearing was dark and baggy, so even though one could tell he wasn't a unicorn, they couldn't figure out if he was a pegasus or just fat.

"I need to be out of here yesterday!" He called out again.  A clamor of crashing metal rose up out of the garage, particularly around a small ship that appeared to be rigged with at least four cannons and an assortment of lasers.

"Cool your jets!" called out another voice, "I'm working here!"

"Well you need to work faster!" He yelled.  The stallion glanced over at the bay doors behind him as if they would burst open and guards would come flooding out of them.  Once again, more crashing was heard.

"Oy! What're you doing to my ship?!"

"If you must know....." the voice from earlier said, "I'm trying to replace a part in your jump drive.”  A loud wrenching noise tore through the cluttered room making the stallion grab his ears in pain.

“I never asked for that!” He hollered out, but all he got in return was more noise.  He finally couldn't take it anymore and began to make his way through the maze of machines and metal that was strewn throughout the garage.  The rough stallion couldn't help but think that a regular mechanic would cringe at such a messed up place, but then again this wasn't a regular place, and its owner wasn't an average mechanic.

He eventually managed to get to his ship and walked to the thrusters on its back where the warp drive was located.  There, he found the mechanic who was dressed up in a blue, full body suit that was smeared with grease and oil.  He was also wearing a welder’s mask, the same one he was wearing when the two had first met.  The mechanic never took it off the entire time the stallion had been there.  Because of this, even though it was obvious that he was a pony, the stallion couldn't tell what type he was.

The stallion walked up to the mechanic and forcefully pulled him away from the warp drive box.   He looked him in the eye, or where he thought the mechanic’s eyes were, and yelled at him.

“I wanted you to replace the transmission oil,” He said, “I did not want you to mess with my jump drive!”  The mechanic tilted his head a bit before shaking it.

“Look buddy,” He said in a muffled voice from the mask, “There was something leaking from it, so I checked it out.  Turns out you needed a new part for it, so I did you a favor and-“

“A FAVOR?!” the stallion roared, “I WANTED-” but before he could finish, the masked mechanic shoved him into a pile of scrap metal.  He then picked up a rather large wrench and hung it on his shoulder, ready to be used at a moment’s notice in case the stallion attacked.

“Yes,” He calmly stated as the stallion got up again, “A favor.  If I hadn't replaced that part then the drive would have exploded the next time you used it.  With the drive where it is, a rather poor choice might I add, it could have taken out your primary engines.  You would have been stranded, alone, in the vacuum of space with no way to send for help.” The stallion froze where he was as he considered this.  The mechanic motioned towards the ship and said, “You’re lucky I caught that.  Fixing jump drives can get pretty….expensive.”

The stallion narrowed his eyes and asked, “Your point is……”

“All I’m saying,” The mechanic said while examining the wrench, “seeing as jump drives aren't cheap, I could use some…compensation…for helping you out Mr…uh…Razor right?”  The stallion named Razor was furious at such a blatant demand of cash.  He picked up a piece of scrap and crushed it in his hooves.

“If you know what’s good for you….you’ll-“

BANG!

“HEY!” Razor exclaimed.  The mechanic had just smashed his wrench into the ship and had put a sizable dent in one of the thrusters.  Before Razor could come at him though, he found the wrench pointed at his face.

“I fixed this ship and I can take it apart.” The mechanic threatened, “Now, you either pay up and leave, or I tell the nearest Lunar outpost about your illegal weapons and parts in this hunk of metal. “  Razor opened his mouth to protest again, but the wrench jabbed him in his chest.  He scowled at the masked pony.

“You don’t know about me do you?” He asked in a cold voice.  The mechanic shook his head, but kept the wrench raised.  “I’m the notorious Razor Blade.” He explained, his voice now dripping with venom, “The one who slit and gutted three ambassadors from three different planets. I wasn’t hired to off them…no…I did it because it was fun…”  If this had any effect on the mechanic, the mask hid his emotions well, which didn’t matter since he replaced the wrench back on his shoulder with a casual look in his body language.

“I don’t know if you know this…” He said in a calm voice yet again, “but this entire station is filled with robots of all sorts and types.”  Razor raised an eyebrow.

“So?” He asked.

“So…” The masked stallion continued, “In the event of my death, they are all programmed to hunt down the one who killed me and make sure they never leave this ship alive, if another creature killed me that is…” As if to emphasize his point, an ominous moaning noise came out from an unknown source.  Razor gulped and asked one more question

“How much?”

The mechanic leaned on his large wrench and did some mental math before voicing his thoughts. “Well…” he pondered, “The replacement of the transmission oil and the jump drive repair comes to about……168 bits…”

“WHAT?!” Razor exclaimed, but the mechanic was already inspecting the dent he had made.

“…and with the added cost of banging out this nasty dent…I’d say the total price is a nice 175 bits.”

“ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”

“Give or take a few bits…yes.”  With that, the mechanic held out his hoof to Razor.  Razor looked like he was about to protest again, even beat up the mechanic, but he eventually just shoved his hoof into his suit and pulled out a hefty bag of bits.

“You’re lucky,” He said as he hoofed over the bag, “I’m in a hurry. Keep your ruddy change.” He spun around and walked over to the cockpit of his ship while the masked mechanic picked up the bag and set it on a nearby table.  After he worked out the dent he had made, he walked over to a large lever in the wall.

“Opening bay doors,” He said, and he pulled the lever.  A powerful grinding noise ripped through the recycled air of the garage.  The large doors that were in the opposite wall slowly lurched open, but instead of opening into the vast darkness of space, it opened up to the vast purple hue of space.  The hue was made from a force field that activated the moment the doors opened which kept the oxygen inside the garage.  Razor’s ship slowly activated as its pilot examined the instruments inside the cockpit to make sure nothing else was broken.  Once he was done, he revved up the engine jolted up into the air, the force of which knocked over a pile of discarded engine parts.

Just before he activated the main thrusters, he turned on the external com-link and yelled, “I won’t forget this you masked creep!” right before he took off, his ship easily passing through the barrier.  The mechanic waved good-bye and closed the bay doors.  Once they were secured, he picked up the bits and left the garage through a nearby passage.

On his way to the vault to store the bits he passed by a sweeper bot, a two legged broom with a bucket on its tail, that was cleaning up the hallway.  He waved to it and it waved back with its bucket before continuing its work.  The mechanic couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of the robot beating the crap out of Razor if Razor had actually killed him earlier.  While he was imagining this, he bumped into another of his creations.  This time it was one of the organizers from the small library he had.  It looked like a floating pair of claws with an eyeball, which, in retrospect, is what it was supposed to be.

“Hey Clyde,” the mechanic said after reading the small label on its body, “Can you do me a favor?” The robot nodded, so the masked pony gave him the bits and told him to take them to the vault.  Clyde saluted and sped off down another corridor, while the mechanic started to go towards the Captain’s Cabin.

The cabin, once he got there, was much more organized than the garage.  The rather large bed dominated the back wall with its blue covers and white pillows, and the dressers on either side of them had neatly organized books.  The warm lights illuminated the rough, grey metal walls and his small desk had various documents, a few machine parts, and a small device that was in the shape of a donut.  He was starting to take off his mask when the donut started to ring.

Rebidep! Rebidep!

Not wanting to make whoever was calling wait, he quickly took the donut shaped device and placed it on the ground in front of him.  He then pressed a small orange button on the side.

Moments later, multiple blue lights shot out from the donut's sides and arced into the space above it where they created a hologram.  The hologram was that of a pony in a what appeared to be a set of dark armor.  The pony was a stallion and had on a helmet that hid his features from the mechanic.  The symbol of the Lunar Republic, a crescent moon, was emblazoned on the chest.

"Hello Mr. Note," the mechanic said, "did you get your armor shined?"

"No Spark." The stallion said, "It's still the same as its always been."  He pulled off the helmet to reveal a kindly face with a long mane.  Even though he was tinted blue, the mechanic, could still make out Note's red mane and the two blue streaks that ran along it.  Note, a unicorn, was orange in color and he had on a playful smile.

"And call me Chaotic would you?" He asked the mechanic that was named Spark.

"No can do Note." Spark said, "Until we meet in person, It's only business between me and the Republic.  Speaking of business....." He slowly took off his mask to reveal a Light green face with a darker green mane.  His similar colored eyed lit up with a mischievous look.

"I placed that tracker on Razor's ship and disabled his jump drive.  I also messed with his weapons system to make him easier to catch." Spark said with a slight bow. Note rolled his eyes and walked off screen for a moment.  When he came back he seemed satisfied with whatever he had learned.

"We are receiving the transmission loud and clear." He said, "You will get your reward in the usual manner."  Note saluted to Spark, "The Lunar Republic thanks you for your service yet again Spark Plug."

"Oh please," Spark said as he peeled off his suit, "I'm just doing what you guys asked me to do."

"Still though," Note said putting hoof down, "Razor Blade has been a thorn in our side for a while.  How did you catch him?"

"That," Spark said while he kicked the greasy uniform off to the side, "is a secret.  I'll collect the bounty when I have time, but for now I'll just be flying around the Oveda System if you need me."

"I understand," Note said, "I'll keep in touch."  And with that, the metal donut shut off.  Spark picked it up and plopped it onto the desk once more.  He then went over to a com-link panel and switched it on.

"CAB?" He called into it.  Static. "CAB I know you're there! Talk to me!"  More static.  "CA-"

"WHAT?!" Yelled a loud voice behind him.  Spark spun around and was happy to see a small floating box in at the door.  The box didn't seem very impressive, especially since the words Computerized Artificial Box was on one side of it, but Spark still smiled when he saw it.

"There you are CAB." Spark said, "Where were you?"

"In the cockpit setting the coordinates to our usual drop off point for our bounties with the Republic." The box casually explained.  It then flew over to Spark's discarded suit.  A small clay slithered out of one of its sides and picked it up with ease.  "I take it that it worked seeing as you're still alive."

"Hey!" Spark exclaimed, yanking the suit out of the box's tiny claw, "I did program the bots on this ship to-"

"Yeah yeah," CAB said while spinning around, "And I bet he would have 'Slit and gutted' you too if I hadn't grinded one of the engines just then."

"So THAT was what the moaning was!"

"Yes, and now we have almost 200 more bits to add to the vault because of it."  CAB stopped spinning and glided over to the door.

"You seem pretty upset for being 200 bits richer...." Spark pointed out.

"Oh yeah? Well you just risked your life...AGAIN...to get them.  I swear Spark, you care more about money than us sometimes...."

"That's not true and you know it." Spark said defensively, "I do it FOR you guys.  I mean....how else am I supposed to afford new parts for you and The Knight?"

"I don't know....maybe...GETTING A MUCH SAFER JOB WITH THE EMPIRE?!" CAB yelled.  He started to shake as he spoke. "Or even the Republic for crying out loud! We take jobs from both of them ALL THE TIME!  Why don't you stop this business and settle down before you get yourself killed?!" Spark didn't answer for a long time.  He just stared at his old friend for a while before a small smile crept over his lips.

"And where's the fun in settling down?"  He asked the floating box.  CAB threw a pair of claws into the air as he left the cabin.

"I don't know why I even bother....." Spark heard him say as he left the room. The mechanic chuckled as he went into his bathroom to get ready for bed.  Swindling crooks out of their hard stolen bits was hard work after all.  After taking a quick shower and brushing his teeth, he walked over to the bed.  He was just about to leap into it when the Donut rang again.  Not expecting any more calls, he curiously set the device down again and pressed the button once more.  A picture of another unicorn, this one purple in the bluish glow, appeared this time.

"Hey Pluggy!" She said.  Spark smiled as he recognized his friend Pen Wright.  She was wearing her black glasses like usual and her purple mane was draped over a part of her face.

"Pen! What's up?" Spark Plug asked.

"Nothing much.  I noticed you were within com distance, so I wanted to say hi!" She replied.

"Ok....hi!"

"Very funny.....but hey! Me and that sweet tooth are going to drop by Mac's tomorrow.  Are you within jumping distance?"

"Hmmm.....I think so......how far is the Oveda System from Mac's again?"

"Close enough!" Pen exclaimed, "I'll tell Sweety that you're coming!"

"You do that.  I'm going to bed."  Spark said with a loud yawn.

"Long day?"

"Very." was all he said.  The two of them exchanged a bit of idle chatter before switching off.  Happy that he had plans for tomorrow, he finally fell into his large bed.  He roughed up the covers for a bit before he slowly fell asleep.

Chapter two: Mac's Place

Request Denied

The cold, female voice rasped across the com link that was in Spark's ear.  He rolled his green eyes and decided to ask the obvious question.

"What do you mean "Request Denied"? I come here all the time!" He tapped the mic that was protruding from the link. "In fact, I know the owner."

Doesn't matter. The voice replied, Your ship's too big for the port. Spark Plug slammed his head into the console.  He heard a slight whine in his ear as the mini speaker jostled around in his hearing cavity.  It was like this every time he came here.  His ship would be hailed, he'd argue with the officer, then he'd explain to her that he had a smaller ship, two in fact, that he could use to get to the small shop and grill that was simply dubbed as "Mac's Place".  Spark sighed and opened his mouth to, once again, begin his explanation of his smaller vessels, when the chat was interrupted.

What's the hold up FT?  A new voice spoke in the distance.

Just some guy with a frigate of a ship. The first voice replied.

"Hey!" Spark complained, "Cosmo is not a frigate!  It's a mobile garage that-"

Yeah yeah..... The first voice said, It's still too big to come in to port.

Wait......is tha' Spark Plug? Spark recognized the voice then, even from the static, from the heavy accent the owner had.

No. It's this-

"MAC!"  Spark suddenly yelled into the mic, "GET THIS FEATHER BRAIN TO LET ME DOCK!"  There was a short scuffle at the other end for a second, probably Mac wrestling the headset off of his assistant, before his familiar voice echoed into his ear.

Hey Plugster He said in a slightly muffled voice, Pen's already here.  Jes' park Cosmo somewhere close by and get yer rear in here.

"Thanks Mac," Spark said with relief, "Is "Sweet Tooth" there?"

'Fraid not. Mac replied, Pen told meh that he had tuh take care oh some......what did she say....some frogmylers or somethin like that.....

"I get it Mac.  That guy's always doing one thing or another.....I'm coming in now.  Tell Pen not to worry, and that I'm sorry I'm late."

Will do boyo.  Over and out.  The channel went dead with a simple click, letting Spark lean back to admire his good luck.  Not wanting to waste it anymore, he took off the com link and turned to CAB, who was floating just out of reach from the pilot's chair in which Spark Plug sat.

"Keep Cosmo a safe distance away from the station and remember to keep Hanz from fiddling too much with the engine." He told the cube.  CAB spun around once to acknowledge the order and flew over to a square port on the front of the wheel.  The cube plugged itself inside and took control of the massive ship, leaving Spark to freely get to one of his smaller crafts.

It didn't take him long to get to his personal hanger in which two ships lay.  One of them was pretty basic in shape and was mostly fit for travel, but the other one, shaped like a lightning bolt of all things, was made for combat.  They were christened The King and The Knight respectively, and was The King that Spark got into.

After putting another link into his ear, he pressurized the ship and took off outside of his mobile garage.  He flew once around the large ship and inspected its hull, and smiled as he saw no new noticeable dents.  The massive, rust colored vessel was about have the size of an average space station, and even though it looked like it was more of a floating junk yard, Spark was proud to call it his home.

After CAB blinked a signal at him to say everything was fine, Spark drove his ship towards Mac's.  As he approached the docking bay he gazed in wonder at it's simplicity.  It looked like a floating house really, with a large parking garage beneath it.  A clear bubble shield encased the actual building, and thanks to a combination of magic and technology, it kept the inside cool and aerated from the harsh vacuum just outside of it.  Unlike the kind of barrier that was on the garage of Cosmo though, this one was clearly designed to help view the one object that the station was most famous for.

Mac had always wanted to retire from his old job in a way that would keep him busy, but would also help him keep up to date on the latest news across the galaxy.  That's why, in a stroke of genius, or perhaps insanity, he decided to build a restaurant that would orbit an iconic space object, which ended up being a massive sun.

The orange flames of the massive star behind the complex hurt Spark's eyes, but he knew the ponies and other creatures inside the bubble shield was calmly staring at it through the barrier's protective film.  The sight was temporarily lost to him though as he entered the garage below the main part of the station.  There were several ships dotting the various landing pads inside, but there was an open one near the back.  Spark slowly maneuvered King into the spot before he depressurized the cockpit.  He quickly jumped out and made his way towards a pair of large doors that led to an elevator.  A short ride later, and he was walking down a short hall that led to his and his friends favorite hangout.

"Aye!" A friendly yet rough voice called out to him when he walked inside of the diner, "There he is!"

"Pluggy!" A second voice called out, this one a mare's, as Spark looked around for their source.  He soon spotted a purple unicorn waving him over to the bar where an orange pony, also a unicorn, was serving drinks.  Spark quickly trotted over to meet up with his friends.

"Long time no see."  He told them both.  The unicorn smiled and hugged him, her black glasses going askew as she did so.  Spark hugged her back and saw her cutie mark, a simple pen on a piece of paper, and he pushed her away before smiling.

"Pen," he said, "What's with the hug?"

"I haven't seen you in two months," She replied, "Of course I'm going to hug you!"  Spark chuckled and looked at the bartender.

"Hey Mac."  Mac smiled and brushed his fiery mane out of his eyes.  His orange coat, still slightly charred from his old job, shone brightly in the dim lights.  He picked up a dirty mug in his yellow magic and, in a classic bartender move, began to scrub it with a cloth.

"Hello thar," He said in his usual accent, "Been a while now hasn't it?"

"You bet!" Spark replied.  He sat down in one of the swivel chairs and ordered a root beer while Pen, who sat down beside him, ordered some hay fries.  Mac poured Spark's drink and gave it to him and then he left to get Pen's fries.  While he was gone, Pen and Spark started to catch up.

"So....." Spark began as he sipped his drink, "Why did "Sweet-"

"I don't know ok?" Pen immediately said, "He just told me he had to go somewhere and left.  I made up an excuse to Mac so he wouldn't worry."

"Ah......" Spark said understanding why.  Mac didn't like ponies breaking appointments without a reason why.  He gets a bit mad if they do.  No need for him to trash the place when Sweet decided to return.

"What have you been doing for the last two months then?" Spark asked, changing the topic. Pen relaxed and pulled out a piece of paper from a pouch on the counter.

"See for yourself." She said as she passed Spark the paper.  On it was the beginning of yet another of her stories.

"You're joking...." Spark said while he read it.  Pen smirked and took it back before he could finish.

"You're just upset that you can't write."  She told him.

"I can write!  My dad taught me!" Spark said defensively.

"I meant you can't write well." She said with a slight giggle.

"Can't write what well?" Mac asked as he came back from the kitchen.  He gave pen her fries and a cup of water to wash them down before turning raising an expectant eyebrow.

"Write pretty much anything." Pen said before Spark could reply.  He drooped his eyes in annoyance.  Mac chuckled before resuming his glass cleaning.

"Tis true old friend," He told spark without looking at him, "Your writin can get a tad.....confusin."

"Oh come on!" Spark complained, "It's not-"

"So how's yer big ship?" Mac interrupted, "Still runnin alrigh'?"

"Yeah Mac, Cosmo's fine." Spark replied, still a tad annoyed at them both, "Why?"

"Well....." He said, "I'm just a bit upset that such a......marvelous vessel.....would have such a sad crew...."

"You got a crew now?" Pen asked while munching on a fry.

"Of course I have a crew." Spark told them, "I've always HAD a crew."

"Robots don't count," Pen said, They're just pieces of moving metal."

"She's right yeh know."  Mac agreed.

"Are you both against me today or something?" Spark asked, unamused by his friend's comments.  They both looked at each other.

"Yes." They both said at the exact same time.  Spark rolled his eyes for the second time that day and downed half his root beer.  He was about to ask them why, when a bottle narrowly missed his head and smashed into the counter.

"TAKE THAT BACK!"  A loud voice yelled.  Spark and Pen looked behind themselves and saw a furious pink mare with a wild, red mane, drunk by the looks of it, glaring at a hooded figure.  Judging by the way the figure was sitting, it looked like a pony, but it was hard to tell what kind due to his cloak.  The mare, however, was clearly a pegasus since she was wearing some light armor that allowed her wings to freely move around.  They were currently flapping up and down in a furious fashion.  Mac shook his head and nodded to another figure in the far corner.  As the second figure came over to the scene, the drunk mare screamed again.

"Hey!"  She yelled, "Buddy?! Did...did you...DID YOU HEAR ME?!"

"I did," He replied, "You don't have to yell.”  The mare rose higher into the air and looked like she was about to dive at him, but she was interrupted before she could.

"Is there a problem here?" The second figure from earlier asked from the shadow of the gathering crowd.

"YES!" The mare exclaimed.  She landed and jabbed an accusing hoof at the hooded stallion.  “THIS one….” She said, “claims the princesses…..never even existed! Can….can you believe that?!”

“I never said that,” The stallion replied, “I just said-“

“SHUT IT!”  She yelled again, spinning back towards him.  The mare then reached into her armor, her drunk, bloodshot eyes dripping with hate.  Spark rose up from his stool to try to stop the fight, but at that moment the second figure burst into the air with her own pair of wings and tackled the drunken pegasus to the ground.  Long, yellow claws curled around the mares neck while a sharp beak was poised above her face.  It looked like she was about to strike, but Mac intervened before she could.

“That’s enough Scarlet!”  He yelled at the griffin.  The large bird creature didn't move for a moment.  She just glared at the frightened pegasus beneath her claws for a second before backing off, but she kept her grip on her neck, just in case.

Mac walked around the counter to get to the scene.  As he did so, two more griffins glided down to keep an eye on their companion.  Spark and Pen relieved that nothing too bad had happened got up to assist the gathering griffins and Mac with the situation.  Spark looked around him and noticed a few more of the feathered creatures stationed around the complex.  Some of them were wearing armor, a few even had a weapon or two hoisted on their shoulders, but each were unique in their own way.

"Are you all right?"  Mac asked the hooded stallion when Spark and Pen got close enough to listen.  The stallion simply nodded his head and drank some water from his mug.  He had covered himself up so well that Spark didn't even see his coat color.  The stranger shifted his weight, and a slight clunk was heard above the low din of the dissipating crowd.  Mac asked him if he needed anything, but he didn't answer, so the bartender instead walked over to another table.

Around this table was two other pegasi.  One of them, a stallion, was jet black, mane and all, while the other looked just like the drunken mare that was pinned to the ground.  Mac acknowledged them with a slight bow, but neither of them returned it.

"I take it tha' the little one belongs wit' you two?"  He asked them.  The black one just smirked at the comment while the other mare rolled her eyes.

“Of course she does,” the mare said, “She’s my little sister.”

“Aye….that she is….” Mac replied, “I’m a tad curious as to why you didn’t stop her earlier…”

“She gets into fights all the time,” The stallion said in a deep voice, “and she’s very passionate about the old tales…says they ring with-“

“ARE YOU BOZOS GOING TO HELP ME OR NOT?!” The younger sister yelled just then.  The Griffin holding her down tightened her grip slightly and shut her up. The mare at the table started to look a tad concerned, but smirked a second later.

“Like Blight said…” she told Mac, referring to the stallion “Little Feather there gets into a lot of fights.  She can handle herself, even when drunk.”  The drunken mare, apparently named Feather, struggled a little in the griffin's grasp.

“Hmmm….” Mac pondered.  He placed a thoughtful hoof to his chin. “What would you have done if she had attacked?”

“He deserved it.”  Was all the one named Blight replied.  If the hooded stallion heard the remark he didn't acknowledge it.  Spark started to wonder just who the stallion was, and so was Pen by the looks of her expression, but they stayed back and let Mac do his job.

“You’re the owner of this joint right?” The older sister asked, “Your name was…..Ironwright was it?”

“Aye.” Mac agreed, “But I go by Mac these days.  Tis an honor to-”

“Let GO of me you big beaked MORON!” The younger sister, Feather, yelled.  She had begun to thrash around in the griffin’s claws, apparently disliking the fact that she was being ignored.

“Keep her steady thare Scarlet” Mac told the Griffin, but before she could even say anything the restless drunk managed to buck her captor in her stomach and threw her off her.  The sister then tore into the air and reached into her armor once more, drawing out a long tube.

“Stop her!” Mac ordered the other Griffins, who were already taking off to take down the enraged mare.  Feather grabbed the tube and tugged on it, and with a slight crack one of ends erupted into a mini flail, which sparked with an electric blue energy.  Just as the griffins were about to catch her, Feather dove downwards and arced just outside of their extended claws.  She screamed a rampant war cry while spinning the flail around her head and raced straight towards the hooded stranger.

Spark opened his mouth to warn him of the danger, but as he did so he felt a strange feeling in the back of his head.  It was a weird, uncomfortable tingle and his face burst out in sweat, but most of all he started to feel a single feeling that simply boiled beneath his skin.  Spark faltered, and he nearly collapsed, but he quickly snapped out of it to witness the drunk strike out at her supposed foe.

Only to be beat back before she could.

In a swift movement that was too quick for Spark to catch, the stranger had reached into his cloak and swung out a hefty blade with both of his hooves.  It struck Feather's electric flail and, in a burst of flame that seemed to come out of the sword itself, sent her flying across the room and into her companion's table.

"Feather!" Her older sister cried out as the table collapsed when the drunken mare's body hit it.  Another Griffin quickly raced over to check on Feather while the now frantic sister fretted over her.  Blight, as well as the rest of the onlookers, stared in shock and awe at the fallen mare, but nothing compared to the looks they were giving to the stranger's weapon.

The blade in his dark blue hooves was shaped like a broad sword and it seemed to be made of rather shiny alloy.  The very center of it was slightly transparent though and a bubbling red liquid could be seen through it.  The two handled grip was a simple black and there was a diamond shaped ruby set in the guard.  Overall, the blade was very threatening and sent shivers down some of the crowd's backs.  Blight, however, was staring at the blade and its owner with a look that could send anypony who was unprepared for it running for their ship.

"You hurt my comrade....." Blight said, his voice dripping with venom, "You shall pay dearly for that......"

"She attacked me first," The stallion said.  He didn’t lower his sword.  Blight growled and got down from his chair.  He started to walk over to the stallion, but Mac walked between them before he could lay a hoof on him.

"Hold on there you two," he said, "I can't allow any more fightin' in here.  This is a family friendly joint now...."  Mac paused with a confused face.  He put his hoof to his chin again and said, more to himself than to anypony in particular, "Course....this is the bar part oh the station, but I digress...."  He clacked his hoof onto the ground and looked at the griffin that was knocked down.

"You ok Scarlet?" He asked her.

"....I'm fine..." She muttered.  Scarlet seemed a bit embarrassed that she had let Feather get the best of her.  Mac just nodded and turned towards the griffin that was checking on the drunken mare.

"How is she?"

"She's been knocked out cold," The griffin said, "but that's partly because of the alcohol.  She also has some minor burns, nothing too serious.  After a few hours of rest she'll be fine."  Feather's sister breathed a sigh of relief, and Blight seemed to have relaxed a bit as well, but he was still glaring at the hooded stallion.  Mac nodded again and looked at Blight.

"I know yer mad, but there’ll be no fightin’ now," he said.  Blight growled in frustration, but Mac raised a hoof into the air for silence.  Once the black pegasus quieted down, he continued.

"You can't fight here," he repeated, "but I CAN let you fight him in a duel on the front deck," he glanced at the stranger, "with yer consent of course."

"They wouldn't leave me alone if I refuse," he simply said, "so I accept." The stranger quickly spun the blade around and replaced it back inside his cloak, supposedly inside of a hidden scabbard of some sort, before getting back down on all of his hooves.  Mac nodded and looked back at Blight. He raised a questioning eyebrow at him, and Blight, seeing as he was surrounded by griffins, reluctantly accepted as well. The bartender smiled and stepped back.

"Brilliant!" he proclaimed, "In that case, I'll be the judge.  You two can go prepare yerselves in yer ships.  The duel shall begin in an hour!"  There was a clamor of applause from the crowd, satisfied that they would get to see a fight take place, especially if it was between these two strangers.  Blight just narrowed his eyes among the cheers, and muttered something to the stranger.  The stranger didn’t respond, so Blight just turned around and helped his companion take her sister to their ship.

The crowd dissipated soon after.  Some went to spread the news of the fight, others decided to get in one last drink with their friends, and a small betting pot was already being discussed.  The griffins also returned to their posts, once again scouting the station for any more trouble.  Spark just shook his head and watched Pen go back to the bar to finish her now cold fries.  Not wanting to waste any more time, he walked over to Mac with a questioning look.  Before he could utter his question though, Mac was already answering it.

“If I had not suggested that duel,” he started to say with grim look, “then those two would've gone after the lad later.  They might’ve killed the bloke, or he would've killed them……”  They both glanced at the stallion in question.  He had already gone back to his seat and was drinking his water once more.  It didn't even look like he cared about the coming fight.

"I have tuh get the deck ready fer the fight," Mac said after a moment's pause, "Why don't you talk to that fellow with the sword?"  It took a moment for Spark to realize who Mac was referring to.

"What?!" Spark proclaimed, "Why me?!"

"I told you," Mac said, his usual smile returning to his face, "I have tuh get the deck ready." He eyed the strangers cloak with an unfamiliar glint in his eyes, "and I want to know more about that there sword.....mighty interestin that blade oh his....."  Mac stared on for a moment more before quickly turning around.  Spark opened his mouth to protest at his thick accented friend, but he was already lost in the crowd.  Giving out a deep sigh, he reluctantly walked over to the stranger.  When he got to him he didn't know what to do.  The stranger paused mid sip after a time and glanced at him.

"May I help you?" he asked.  His voice seemed taught and rigid, but there was an underlying warmth about him, but that may have just been his strange sword.

"Um....is...." Spark stammered, "Is that seat....occupied?" The stranger didn't answer at first, but he then gestured towards the empty seat across from him.  Spark said thanks and sat down.  Again, the stranger didn't say anything else, so to break the tension, Spark introduced himself.

"Uh...." he began, "My name is Spark.  Spark Plug to....to be exact."

"What do you want?"  The hooded stranger asked.  Spark swallowed back his nervousness and tried to explain that he was a friend of Mac, the owner.  The stranger nodded and understood Mac's motive for sending Spark to talk to him.

"He wants to know if I can be trusted....."

"That...that's not true!" Spark proclaimed.

"Why is that?" The stranger asked.

"Mac trusts everypony he meets," Spark explained, "The only way he would ever distrust someone is if they gave him a reason to."

"Well I've got many reasons why he shouldn't put his trust in me." The stranger stated.  He slugged down the rest of his water and slammed down the empty mug.  "Don't get me wrong here.  I appreciate his will to set up that duel and everything, but it's still annoying to have to do it."

"He did that for your protection....and for...." Spark paused before he could finish the sentence, but the stranger finished it for him.

".....and for them?" he asked.  Spark slowly nodded and couldn't help but glance at the place in the stranger's cloak where the blade was.  The stranger chuckled at this and raised his hoof towards Spark.

"I like you Mr. Plug," he said, "it's a pleasure to meet you."  Spark Plug smiled and shook his hoof.  While they were shaking, the stranger whipped off his hood to reveal his face.  Spark gasped at the sight.  The stranger was a dark blue unicorn with a large black mane, but that wasn't all, for protruding out of the sides of his head were a pair of bright orange horns that curved up and pointed straight at the ceiling.  Spark nearly forgot to close his mouth from the shock of seeing the tricorn before the stranger spoke again.

"My name," he said in an amused voice, "is Guy."

Chapter three: Practice

“So……the lad’s name is Guy?” An orange bartender, a unicorn, asked an earth pony mechanic.

“That’s right.” The mechanic replied.

“Huh……” the bartender muttered as he dragged a large box, filled with who knows what, across the massive deck of a space station.  Above them was a gigantic barrier, tinged white with magic, which occasionally rippled in the cosmic wind.  Beyond that lay the blinding light of a nearby star that, if you looked at it through the barrier, you’d be able to see it clearly, its flames shooting out and trying to lick the orbiting restaurant.

At that moment, its orange owner was preparing a circular deck for a duel between two stallions that, if the bartender hadn’t intervened, might have destroyed each other in their rage.  The deck in question was about the size of a soccer field, a still famous sport in Equestrian space, and several grand stands for on lookers had already been erected.  A couple of ponies and a few griffins were already sitting on the benches, while a large ship floated outside the bubble barrier to get a good look at the coming fight from there.

“What do you mean ‘huh’?” The green mechanic eventually asked his friend.

“Ah mean ‘huh’,” the bartender replied while he set the box beside a few others in his orange magic, “As in ‘Huh….interestin name’.”

“Oh……”

“He he….Spark Plug me friend,” the unicorn said while turning towards the green pony, “yeh need tuh stop accusin everypony oh being mysterious!”

“I……what?” Spark Plug asked, now confused.

“Ah mean, yeh need teh trust me more than yeh sometimes do.  Ah mean….sometimes yeh can be….a bit reserved….if yeh know what ah mean….”  The unicorn then began unpacking the boxes onto a nearby table.  Within them were an assortment of protective gear, various weapons, and smaller boxes that were labeled ‘ammo’.

“Mac….” Spark muttered, “I DO trust you, but sometimes I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“It’s true you know!” a light voice exclaimed from behind the stallions, “Your accent makes it hard to figure out what you’re trying to say, especially now when you’re excited.”  Spark and Mac turned around and saw Pen walking up to them with a tray of drinks on her back.

“The chef told me to give these to you,” She told the bartender.

“Aye.  Set them on theh table here.”  The purple unicorn nodded and did as such, letting Spark and Mac glare at each other while her back was turned.  Turning back around, she noticed that the two of them were now looking at everything else but at each other.

“NOW what’s wrong?”  She asked them.

“Oh nothing,” Spark replied, “I’m just having some trust issues.”

“And ah’m jes talkin here, ‘cept no one understands meh……” The two of them huffed up their noses into the air for a split second, before buckling back down and laughing.  Pen smiled, though confused, but she was at least happy that they weren’t arguing.

“So what’s up with that guy with the weird sword?”  She then asked them when they stopped laughing.  Mac and Spark looked at each other before they each picked up one of the drinks on the tray, which turned out to be large mugs of milk.  Spark slurped at his white drink for a moment before answering.

“Not much I can say really,” he told her, “Guy was just stopping by here for a quick rest before heading out again for the closest Solar Empire occupied planet.  He said he had a bounty to collect.”

“He’s a bounty hunter? Like you?”  she asked him, right before furling her brow, “And I think you meant ‘THE guy’.”

“Nope,” Spark told her, “His name is actually Guy and no I’m not a bounty hunter.  I just assist those who ask for my help.”

“Whatever mate,” Mac chuckled, “Ah’m more interested in the lad’s sword!”

“Of course you are Mac,” Pen said while she started drinking some milk herself.  She brushed aside her dark purple mane before downing half the cup in one gulp.

“Right…well…..” Spark muttered, “I…..actually couldn’t get him to talk about it.  Every time I brought it up, he’d change the topic.  He did it so many times that I had to just give up.”  The mechanic pointedly sipped his milk with a glum expression.

“Sorry about that Mac.”  He apologized after a moment of silence.

“Tis okay me friend.” Mac told him, “Ah didn’t expect much anyway.” The orange bartender set aside his already empty glass and continued his work.  By then, several more ponies, griffins, and other creatures were gathered around the large deck.  A few more ships were also floating outside the barrier.  News of the fight had traveled fast it seemed.

“So…..” Pen said as she replaced her own empty cup, “How are preparations for this……thing…..going?”

“Pretty well,” Mac told her while he prepared the table, “Ah’m jes abou ready here.  Spark was keeping meh company!”

“Yep!” Spark agreed, “The only thing left for us to do is to set up the weapons here.”

“Uh…..’Us’?”  Mac asked while lifting up a box of ammo, “Ah think yeh mean me,”

“I’m helping!” Spark Plug told him.

“And….how are yeh doin that boy?”

“I helped you drag these boxes out didn’t?”

“Aye….’cept you just stayed outah theh way aftah ward.” Mac chuckled and set lined up the different weapons next to each other, from different kinds of guns and their mounts, to a small variety of swords.  The bartender was just setting down the last of the ammo before he turned back towards his friend.

“Ain’t dat right boyo?”

“Ummm….” Pen said with a nervous laugh, “You two aren’t going to fight again….are you?”  She looked back and forth between the two stallions, unsure of what to do if they-

“Of course not!” Spark told her a second later.  He raised his mug of milk a bit higher as if he was about to propose a toast.

“I mean….we’re just joking around here…….right?” He asked while looking at the fiery maned bartender.  Mac chuckled a little before he raised his empty mug into the air with his magic.

“Of course…friend……” Mac agreed.  He shifted the cup to tap Spark’s while Spark went to do the same.  Right before the cups would have clinked together though, the green mechanic softened his grip, “Accidentally” dropping the mug.

CLACKity-GOOOOOSH!

“Oops…..” Spark muttered, his forelegs now dripping with the white liquid.  Mac stared down at his own legs, seeing them soaking wet.  He had received the brunt of the spillage while Pen and Spark barely got nipped.  The purple writer couldn’t tell if the mechanic had deliberately dropped the now cracked mug or if it was an actual accident.  She couldn’t ask Spark, though, as Mac spoke up with fire in his eyes.

“Okay……” he said, “NOW we’re goin tah fight.”

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"......and so...." an accented voice announced from a loud speaker, "....I apolegize for theh delay, but ah've got a score tuh settle here......."

"Bring us the fight!"  Somepony demanded from the upset crowd. They were all pretty disappointed by the sudden delay and were now aching for something to happen, but Mac only shrugged them off before he took off the head set he had been wearing.  He turned towards the makeshift announcer's stand, which was just a pile of old crates and boxes, and hoofed the head set to the announcer.  Pen only just caught them inside of her magic before looking back at her orange friend with a worried look.

"Are you sure about this?"  She asked him before she set the headset onto a crate beside her.  Mac, once again, shrugged.  He looked behind him at Spark Plug, who was just then examining a small gauntlet of sorts that had been set out on the table.  A few of the onlookers pointed him out, but they didn't question his being there.  They assumed that he must have been a referee or something.  Mac chuckled before he glanced at Pen.

"Do me a favah and get anothah announcer in there," he said, "Ye'll need anothah eye to make sure thah.....nothing wrong happens."  Pen jolted back in surprise at the comment and opened her mouth in protest, only to be stopped by a sudden Grey hoof on her shoulder.

"Don't worry mate," a light-hearted voice spoke up behind her, "I'll handle co-commentator duties here." Pen, recognizing the voice, turned around to look at the owner of the hoof.  She came face-to-face with a pair of bright, green eyes and the grey face of a stallion who was wearing a rather wide grin upon his features.

"Oye!" Mac called out, "I though' thah yeh were takin on some......mylers oh somethin like thah......"

"Nope!" the stallion called back.  He shook his short, black mane and let go of Pen while he pulled out a small bag of old hay to sit on from a corner of the makeshift booth.  As he sat down, he yelled, "At least.....not anymore I'm not!  It's taken care of!"

"Aye then..." Mac consented, "....take care Sweet Tooth......or whatevah yer name is!" He spun around, his fiery mane and tail flicking out behind him as he walked, then began racing over to Spark Plug, who was looking into a small slot on the front of the gauntlet, his confusion only rising the more he looked at it.  'Sweet' waved back to him as he ran off to help Spark.

"Tell him I say hi!" He yelled one more time before finally relaxing behind the crates.  The grey stallion glanced at the suddenly enraged Pen Wright beside him.

"What?"  He asked her, genuinely confused.

"You said that you wouldn't be able to make it!" Pen yelled at him, "I had to lie to Mac so that he wouldn't kill you whenever you came back!"  She hastily looked back at the bartender in question, who was just then wrenching the gauntlet out of Spark's hooves with an angry look on his face.

"And it was a good lie too!"  Sweet told her, "I mean....Frogmylers?  VERY good name for them....except they're Fragomealers...and there were a LOT of them let me tell-"

"Whatever Sweet!"  Pen yelled again, "You're still lucky that I covered for you......."  She crossed her hooves and looked away, right before she looked back at him with a confused look.

"Mac only said 'Mylers' earlier.....how'd you know-"

"I have my ways......." Sweet replied.  Raising an eyebrow at him, she only shook her head, deciding, once again, that the topic wasn't worth arguing with the guy.  And speaking of guy........

"So....do you know what's going on here?"  She asked him.

The grey stallion raised a hoof and opened his mouth to reply, paused for a second, then proclaimed, "Not a clue!"  Pen sighed and began to explain the situation to Sweet.  While she did this,  Mac was yelling at Spark......again.

"....And fer the luv oh pete!" the enraged bartender yelled, "Watch where yer puttin this thing!  Yeh coulda killed yerself if ah hadn't come!"

"With a piece of armor?"  Spark Plug yelled back, "How could I have killed myself with that thing?!" He jabbed a furious hoof at the gantlet that Mac had so rudely ripped away from him a moment before.  The bartender gave him a rather confused look before answering.

“What de yeh mean?” Mac exclaimed, “Yeh mean yeh’ve nevah seen a pata sword befoe?” Spark Plug raised an eye brow at him and stared at the gauntlet. In his friend’s magic.

“A pata sword?” he asked, “I uh…..hate to break it to you…..but there’s not even a blade on that thing……”

“Oh relleh?”  Mac asked.  He raised an orange hoof and slipped the metal guard on.  Before Spark could even ask what he was doing, Mac simply gripped the handle inside the guard before it came to life before his eyes.

SNNNNNNNNNK

“Whoa….” The mechanic muttered as he stepped back.  A hidden blade had slipped out of the tiny slot he was looking at earlier and was now raised into the air.  Much like a regular blade, this one was long and sharp.  It was a double edged sword as well, so it was used mainly for attack.  There was one difference though.  This was a Pata Sword so the blade was perpendicular to the gauntlet like grip.  Spark had no idea how the blade had been hidden away so well, but at that moment he was smiling.

He had found his weapon for the match.

Mac chuckled at his awe and loosened his grip, letting the blade slide back into the guard.  He walked back over to the table and picked up a few pieces of light armor and began strapping them on to himself.  Spark quickly followed suit and began doing the same.

“I ave some….special gear….in anothah room,” Mac told him a moment later, “So fell free tuh take whatevah yeh need hare.”

“Right…” Spark Plug replied.  Mac smirked at him and turned to leave, but the mechanic suddenly placed a hoof onto his shoulder.

“Do we really have to fight?” He tentatively asked.

“Havin second thoughts are weh?” Mac asked him with a sly grin.

“No no…….it’s just…..we’re doing this over a mug of spilt milk.  Literally.  Sounds a bit childish……right?”

“Hmmm…true…” Mac agreed with a devilish grin, “…but we can’ bak doon now……we hav tuh go through wit our task else we look like cowards!”  Spark sighed and nodded his agreement before turning away again to put on a well-worn shoulder guard.  As he strapped it on, a thought occurred to him.  He spun around and called out one last remark to his retreating foe-to-be.

“This better not be another one of your publicity stunts!”

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“…..and that’s pretty much the gist of it……”  Pen finally finished a couple of minutes later.  Sweet pondered her words for a moment before placing a grey hoof to his chin.

“I see…..” He muttered in amusement.  Pen sighed and leaned back into a bale of hay just then.  She was massaging her forehead in annoyance.

“They shouldn’t be fighting so much……” Pen stated a moment later.

“Yeah yeah…” Sweet agreed, “But what do you expect from a bounty hunter like Spark?”

“I expect him to act his age…..”

“And Mac? He’s retired you know.”

“Like I’d ever argue with HIM.”  Pen chuckled to herself at the thought and leaned forward again.  She tapped at the microphone that a griffon had brought for Sweet so he could help co-commentate.  Around them, the impatient crowd was complaining at the lack of action, but at least the few vendors that had decided to set up shop were happy.

“Popcorn! Get yer popcorn here!”

“I’m cooking up some hay bacon if any of you lubbers want some!”

“Diamonds!  Rubies!  Scientifically made for even the most stubborn of dragons!  Get em while they’re cold!”

Pen chuckled to herself at how quickly they had come.  Some beings just know when to make a quick profit.  She glanced to her side to ask her grey friend a question, only to find that he was already munching on some popcorn.

“Wha….where did you-“

“Just now when you weren’t looking,” he answered, “Want some?”

“Um….sure……”  Pen muttered, and she took up a small hoof full.  The two of them munched on the hot clumps of popped corn for a while before Sweet looked at Pen with a raised eyebrow.

“So…what was that guy’s name again?” He asked her.

“Who?” Pen asked back while spitting out a stray corn kernel in her teeth.

“The guy with the weird sword.”

“Oh….him?”  the mare wondered, “Hmmm…..I think Spark said that his name was actually Guy.”  Sweet paused in his eating and frowned.

“Huh…….” he muttered, “So he’s here too…..” Pen furled her brow.

“Wait…..you know-“ She tried to ask, but a loud roar of approval erupted from the crowd just then, completely drowning out her voice.  The writer looked out at the arena and noticed that Spark was strapped into some light armor with some shoulder guards, a gleaming gauntlet strapped to his hoof.  She also noticed that he had a small gun hanging off the side of his hip.

Ahead of him stood his opponent and friend, Mac, who was dressed up in an attire that was unfamiliar to his bartending duties.  The armor was the same as Spark’s for one, but that was where the similarities ended.  A long, yellow robe adorned his front with the mark of a sun clearly shown, a classic sign of the Solar Empire, and the mitts he had on his hooves, even from her distance, looked old and worn from many years of working with hot metal.  Across his back lay a crossbow the likes of which Pen had never seen before, being a gleaming silver with not one, but two black strings across the bow.  A quiver full of a mishmash of arrows was at his side, and it was only then that the purple mare realized that he, too, had a gauntlet strapped to his arm.

The grey stallion beside Pen whistled in admiration at both of the fighters before bringing the microphone closer to him.  Even without being told, he had already activated a small machine next to him, activating a nearly invisible barrier, similar to the bubble barrier around the station, which popped up and rolled around the “Commentator’s box” as well as in front of the crowd.  Pen only just managed to get the headset turned on and ready before Sweet began to speak.

“WELCOME ONE AND ALL,” Sweet Tooth proclaimed into the mic, projecting his voice around the stadium, “TO YET ANOTHER BRAWL ABOVE THE BAR!” The crowd cheered around and clacked there hooves, claws and mandibles together in anticipation.

“I’m here in the commentator’s box with my good friend Pen Wright!” he continued, “Say hello Pen!”

“Um……hi?”  Pen said, right before her companion took off again.

“And you all can just call me Sweet Tooth!  Hello!”

“Uh…..as you can see….” Pen squeaked, now nervous from the sudden attention, “The two…fighters here today……are my friend Spark Plug….” She paused and glanced to the side, where Sweet was giving her a warm smile.  The mare relaxed slightly and continued.

“…Spark Plug…is a good friend of mine…of both of us….and he’s a mechanic.”

“And a pretty darn good one two!”  Sweet yelled out, “Speaking of which, are you still flying around with all those robots?  Get a life dude!”  Laughter erupted around them, but the armor clad mechanic just waved them off.

“Well…..he DOES have one.”  Pen said in a much louder voice, “He just needs to talk with REAL crew members.”

“I thought he already was?”

“Robots don’t count and you know it.”

“CAN YOU GET ON WITH IT?!”  Spark yelled at them.  The crowd laughed again, much louder this time from the friendly banter.  Pen smiled and laughed herself, letting Sweet take over again.

“His opponent is someone that we all know and love here at the station,” Sweet continued, “And he would normally be serving you drinks!  NOW though….he’s decided to dust off some of his old gear to teach this mechanic a lesson!”  More cheering interrupted him just then as Mac turned around and bowed to various parts of the crowd.  Pen giggled and continued for Sweet.

“What you may not know about him is that he used to be a black smith AS WELL as a soldier for the Solar Empire, but he’s been retired for a couple of years now.”

“And there you have it folks.” Sweet yelled, “A match between a roving mechanic that needs more friends and a retired black smith who, let’s face it, is way more experienced here.”

“HEY!”  Spark yelled at them just as the crowd roared in agreement.  Mac only chuckled at the comments and crouched down low, ready to fight.

“It seems like the fighters are ready…” Sweet pointed a second later, “….care to explain the rules Pen?”

“Uh…sure!” She said.  The mare reached behind a bale of hay and pulled out a clipboard marked with specific rules that Mac had given her earlier.

“The rules being used will be the Official Dueling Rules of the Lunar Republic and the Solar Empire.” She said and began reading from the clipboard.

“Any Weapons being used for the fight can be anything the fighters want, from using guns from their own arsenal to the ones that are provided.  To keep any accidental deaths occurring, any sharp weapons will be blunted by magic, fire arms will use the provided, safe-impact ammo, and any magical gear must have their more dangerous spells dumbed down.

“Because the weapons and ammo shouldn’t cause TOO much damage, there are three ways that a fight can end. The first is if one fighter is knocked out during the duel.  The second is if one of the fighters concedes to the other, meaning they give up.  The third is if the duel is ever interrupted by an outside party or if it is stopped by a referee, in this case being Sweet and myself.  If the duel is interrupted, then it will result in a tie; Furthermore, a tie can come around if both fighters agree to it or if they both fall unconscious at the same time.

“Are there any questions?”

“Yeah!” someone shouted out from the crowd, “When does the fight start?!” Even more laughter erupted around the voice, further exciting the event.  Pen giggled herself as she lay down the rules.  Sweet looked around at the cheering crowd and smiled.  It was the type of smile that would make anypony or creature grimace in fear from what was about to happen.

“If that’s all,” Sweet said a moment later, “Then let me ask the fighters one more question......"  He turned around and glared out over the arena before him.  Both Spark and Mac were readying themselves, the mechanic with the strange gauntlet and the bartender turned black smith let his horn glow and low orange.  Sweet nodded his head at them both before raising a grey hoof high into the air.

"Then let the duel......BEGIN!" He yelled, just as he swung his hoof towards the arena.

Spark immediately began charging forward, aiming himself right at Mac, who had whisked his silver bow off of his back while he fit a fiery red arrow into one of its strings.  He lifted it up and aimed it at the charging mechanic, quickly launching the red shaft straight at him.  Spark Leaped to the side and let the arrow fly past him.  He rolled onto the ground and jumped back up, ready to charge once more, but just then the arrow struck the ground just behind and exploded in a massive ball of fire.

"Oh!"  Sweet commented from his hay bale, "That looked like it hurt! Mac's arsenal of of magic arrows sure packs a punch!"

"I thought magic like that wasn't allowed!"  Pen exclaimed, as she watched Spark shake himself up again.

"He's not dead is he?"

"Well...no...but..."

"Then the fight continues!"  Hearing this, Spark Plug reached beside to grab his gun, but Mac was already launching another arrow, a blue one, right at him again.  The green stallion dodged again and raced to the side away from yet another blast behind him, resulting, not in a fiery burn, but in a cold embrace of ice.  Glancing behind him, he saw that a large collection of ice crystals had formed behind him.

"Is thah theh best yeh can do laddie?!"  Mac taunted his friend, "It's almos like shootin fish in a- WOOOF!"  He gasped just as a bullet smacked him in his chest armor.  Spark had used his taunting as an opportunity to strike him when he was distracted.

"Less talking more hitting!"  Sweet yelled out.

"....but...but not too much!" Pen added on.  Spark only grinned before he began firing more of the safe-impact ammo towards his foe.  This time, though, Mac was prepared.  He began dodging the shots, racing along the edge of the arena as the bullets blew up all around him.  He slipped in two arrows, one in each string on his crossbow, before firing both of them at once.  Spark easily jumped backwards as the arrows smacked into the ground in front of him.  He only just noticed that they were red and blue before they went off, a thick fog sprouting out from the explosion.  The fog quickly enveloped the mechanic, hiding his form from view, letting Mac cackle out loud before leaping in after him.

“What….what just happened?”  Pen asked.

“Mac just used one of those fire arrows and an ice arrow together,” Sweet explained, “The hot fire and the cold ice combined to make this thick fog…..I can’t see anything!”

“Me neither….do you think-“

TWANG

TUNK

BOOOOOOOM!

The crowd roared in shock as the red shaft of a fire arrow shot out of the fog just then and hit the ice block, exploding into a mass of fire and melting the ice on impact.  Even more fog sizzled out of the evaporating puddle, further obscuring the arena.  The barriers that covered the crowd as well as the commentator’s box kept the white clouds back, but this only created a large wall of white fog in front of everyone.

“What’s happening?”  Pen asked again.

“I’m not too sure…..” Sweet replied, “I can’t….wait……is that…talking?” True to his word, there was the low sound of talking coming from within the fog.  Soon, the crowd fell silent to listen in.

“…clever there…but now neither of us can see…..”

“Aye….but I’m used to suck fog…..comes wit bein workin in me ol’ smithy….”

“This fog can’t stay forever…..it’ll lift….”

“True….but I ‘ave more the’ one arrow boyo….”

TWANG

Ku-THUNK

Ker-ZAM!

A bright flash of lightning erupted out of the fog, quickly evaporating some of the fog around it.

"Geez!  What was that!"

"Thah was yer armor gettin wet laddy.......might want teh change aftuh theh fight...."

"Oh har har......that was SO fu-"

Ker-ZAM!

"YAH!"  The voice yells when more lightning appears.  The other voice roared with laughter along with some of the on-lookers.

"STOP THAT!"

"Yer such a poor sport Spark.....Yeh need tuh loosen up there son...."

"......."

"Spark?"

"Ah HA!"  The voice yells, several bangs of his gun going off quickly following.  What followed next was a mismatch of several booms and bangs as the two of them shot at each other.  An occasional ball of fire erupted out of the fog, followed by either lightning or ice.  Eventually, the explosions slowed down until they stopped altogether. The crowd stood up in anticipation of what they would soon find.  As the fog finally lifts from the arena, what appeared to be large chunks of ice began poking out of the low clouds. Some of the chunks were slowly melting, while others still had steam coming off of them.  In the middle of all of this, two figures stood glaring at each other.

"Oh hey!  They're alive!"  Sweet pointed out, but nopony was listening.  The scene before them had caught their attention.  Spark, it seemed, was panting heavily, his gun nowhere to be seen. The armor he was wearing was smoking slightly, several large dents puncturing his chest plate while his left shoulder guard had been completely torn off.

Mac, however, was in much better shape.  Though his bow was also missing, as well as his quiver for that matter, his armor didn't have as many dents, and none of it was missing.  Even the yellow robe on his front was still in good shape, though smudged with black soot.  Both were panting heavily and glaring at each other.  All talking had stopped.

Well.....almost.

"Huh.......who's winning again?"  Sweet asked, breaking the silence in one swift comment, a silence that was also punctured by a sudden battle cry from Spark.  Once the tension broke, he charged forward once more.  Mac narrowed his eyes and knelt down, extending the gauntlet on his hoof to the side.  All at once, Spark leaped into the air, pulling his own gauntlet out as he did.  The swift sound of metal grinding on metal erupted from both the fighters, long blades suddenly extended out of the guards on their hooves, and when they clashed together, sparks shot out from the connection of the sharp steel from their swords.

Spark's jump had pushed Mac back slightly, but he quickly shoved back.  The mechanic leapt away again, but was already lashing back out at his foe.  The older stallion stepped off to the side, letting his opponent's blade strike the ground, jarring the younger stallion's arm.  Spark's teeth shook in his head, his grip loosening on the pata sword and letting it slide back into its holder, leaving him wide open for an attack, which Mac took with glee.  He quickly turned around and struck out with his back hooves, pounding the green pony in his side and sending him flying away, right into a block of ice.  A resounding crunch could be heard as he hit it, his body sticking the frozen water before he fell with a THUD onto the ground.

"Oooh...."  Sweet and Pen groaned, the crowd gasping in shock at the same time.  After a moment, when Spark didn't get up,  Pen moved to end the match.

"I...uh....as the official referee of this fight...."  She stammered out, "I hereby-"

"Wait!"  Sweet interrupted, "Look!"  He pointed his hoof towards Spark's body, and right before their eyes they saw that he was standing back up.   He looked out at the stunned crowd, and soon found himself smiling when they began to cheer.  He coughed for a second before looking back at Mac.

"Looks like I've earned their favor......"

"Aye....." Mac replied, "It sems so...."  He placed a filthy orange hoof onto the back of his head and sighed.

"och....I fel bad now thah I haftah put yeh down....."  He said, right before giving Spark a wicked grin.

"Aye...."  Spark teased back, "same here......"  He chuckled before kneeling down again.  Mac opened his mouth to say something else, but he soon found himself face to face with a determined mechanic, their eyes mere inches apart.  Before he could react,  Spark had already shoved him away, making him stumble backwards.  He  Kept himself from collapsing, but that didn't matter as his foe bucked him in his chest, sending him reeling backwards, much like he had done to him a few moments ago.

"UH!" He gasped out, clutching his front in pain, but Spark didn't let up on him.  He was racing around the stunned bartender, arcing his body just so, so that when he jumped he brought his gauntlet around with him, bashing it right into Mac's head.  With another resounding CRACK, Mac was collapsed upon the ground, grabbing his head, as well as his chest, in agony.

Spark let him lay there for a moment before he walked up to him.  He extended the gauntlet on his hoof and pulled the handle, sliding out it's hidden blade.  He pointed it right at Mac's face and smiled.

"I win."  He told him.  The mechanic almost let himself relax after all of that.  If only he hadn't noticed the playful gleam in his friend's eyes.

"Why so happy?"  Spark asked him, "I just beat you!"  Mac only chuckled before flicking his eyes downwards for a split second.  Wary of a trick, Spark stared at him for a moment, but his curiosity got the better of him.  He had to look down.

Only to find that Mac was pointing his own gauntlet right at his chest.  He could tell that if he extended it now, it would go right into his chest.  The mechanic wouldn't be able to even kill him, let alone cut him, if this had been a real fight.

But it wasn't.

"Well then....." Sweet said once he took his eyes out of a pair of binoculars he had somehow found, "looks like our dear Ironwright-oh sorry.....I mean Mac-is our victor for this opening fight!"  Pen sighed in relief before she reached past Sweet to press a small button, activating a hidden bell that rang out over the on looker's crazed catcalls of delight and hate alike.  By that time, Mac had already gotten back on his hooves.  He was dusting off some of the soot on his robe and laughing very heartily.

"EH He he....." he laughed, "Sorry boyo....but I sem to ave won!"  Spark didn't reply.  He was still holding out his sword in utter shock and embarrassment.  Mac clapped an understanding hoof onto his friend's shoulder before turing around.  A pair of griffons, released from the protective bubble barrier that used to be around the stands, were already flying towards him to escort their boss back into the building so he could change in peace.  This action seemed to snap the beat up loser of the match out of his shock, letting him finally retract his sword.  The stallion looked out after his friend and smiled.

"All that for some spilt milk huh?"  He muttered under his breath.  Spark began laughing himself at the thought and went to follow the bartender back inside to clean himself up, but a thought interrupted him.  Something that Sweet had said had bothered him, but he didn't......know........

"Wait......"  Spark Plug muttered.  He stared at the back of Mac's retreating head before he cursed out loud.

"You JERK!"  He hollered after Mac, quickly making his aching body chase after him.  He yelled out one last thing before they vanished inside of a gate that had opened at the end of the match.

"This WAS another publicity stunt!"